Gulf Island Waterfront Cabin – Decourcy Island

Stunningly beautiful waterfront property on historic Decourcy Island that we owned for 18 years.

Pristine high-bank south-facing property that fills the cabin with golden light every sunset. (We only cut down three trees in 18 years; the trees were dead and threatening the cabin.)

There are only neighbours on one side, and the cabin is positioned so that they aren’t visible from inside the cabin.

Air-tight wood stove quickly heats the cabin and there is plenty of wood available on the lot.

A simple solar-system and LED lights provide adequate light for reading even in the winter months.

*Lots more pics and videos below

– Built 1995 – wood post on concrete pads
– Framed with 2x10s, and inside finished to retain shelving on walls
– Artisan-crafted red cedar ladder to sleeping loft
– Metal roof
– Maintenance-free all-natural cedar siding
– Approx 500 square feet including sleeping loft (20×20 main floor with additional 8×4 pantry and 8×8 loft)
– 3 outside decks
– 500 gal fresh-water cistern (Collects and filters water off one side of roof through a silica-sand filtration system. We used an additional counter-top filter and drank this water for 17 years without any issue. We cleaned the cistern and roof once a year, and occasionally added a splash of bleach.).
– 2-burner gas stove
– Swedish-made Dometic propane fridge/freezer (100lb propane tank provided enough fuel for months of normal usage. Propane tank was refilled/replaced by pre-arranged delivery service.)
– *No plumbing (Outhouse with a view. The hole was dug out 6 months ago.) We would have added a composting toilet if we hadn’t sold. About $1000. Excellent quality these days. See this gal’s 1st-hand experience: http://bit.ly/2dilrfF We used a portable pressurized tank at our kitchen sink for dishes, and for showers. Works great!
– Reliance air-tight wood stove (qualified for insurance)
– Simple solar system with LED lights for reading
– Two extra 45-gallon cisterns collect rain water for plants.
– Screens on all windows and sliding doors.
– Great mobile and internet reception for when we needed to check in on the rest of the world.

The variety of colors off the sky and ocean is remarkable. *No filter was used in any of these photos.

Above – An extremely rare shot – the cabin in snow. Taken from the ocean after a flash snowstorm in 2009.

Above – Woodstove in the corner is a great idea – watch the fire and view at the same time.Above – At dusk a few bats often come out and put on an acrobatic display for us silhouetted against the sky and ocean.Above – A pair of eagles from our front porch. We also see orcas, owls, sea lions, otters, deer, heron, mink, rabbits, raccoons, hummingbirds and a host of other small birds.Above – There a quite a few arbutus on the property, including a rare grove of 8 trees.

Above -Even when the storms roll in it’s beautiful.

MISCELLANEOUS THOUGHTS

The wood stove was located in the corner of the main windows. Great idea! Let us gaze at the fire and view at the same time. (We call it “View TV”.)

A simple solar-system and LED lights provided adequate light for reading even in the winter months.

Creatively placed mirrors reflected the ocean view from every angle of the cabin.

An incredibly inspirational place to recharge, revitalize and create. We purposefully kept all systems to a minimum (hence no plumbing or major electricity) in order to maximize our creative time while at the cabin. (A wise man taught us the more systems you have, the more time you spend maintaining them.)